Mistaken Identity

[A1WOC 212]

As I looked through my open bedroom window this morning, I caught a glimpse of a magpie flying into my neighbours oak tree to perch. This is a regular occurrence and I keep my Daystate Air Wolf close to hand for such an event... magpies are in abundance in my semi-rural neighbourhood, and I do my bit to keep them in check to allow a balance with the local songbird population.

Upon retrieving my Daystate from the top of the wardrobe, I settled down by the window to survey the oak tree through the rifle scope, hopefully to spot the magpie that had originally caught my attention. Moving leaves gave its position away and I was soon able to bring it into full view; to my surprise it wasn’t a magpie, it was a Jay!

Jays too are members of the corvids family and exhibit similar characteristics as that of the magpies, which explaining my original mistaken identification. Despite their beautiful plumage, they are just as voracious as a magpie when it comes to robbing nests and killing fledgling birds.

With the jay nicely framed in my scope, I watched it swoop down from the tree onto my wife’s freshly tilled vegetable plot. As it foraged through the rough turned soil for insects and worms my finger hovered over the trigger... do I, Don’t I was going through my mind. Had it been one of the many magpies that plague the area I wouldn’t have hesitated. Many pro-culling and anti-culling thoughts went through my mind as I followed the jay through my scope for a good five minutes.

My attention was drawn away from the jay by a pair of magpies; they had dropped down onto my lawn to feed off the worms this morning’s rain had bought to the surface. Thinking the magpies would be a more worthy recipient for a .177 lead breakfast, I slowly moved position and took aim at the nearest bird. Raising the reticle to one mildot holdover for the 45 yard distance, I steadied it over the bird’s breast for a heart & lung shot...BANG! All three birds flew away. The unusually loud report from the breech indicated to me I had not engaged the bolt and probe to chamber the pellet from the single shot magazine. The choice was made for me by my own incompetent actions.

Regards, Steve.

[bigmac 97kt 13,821]

Happens to us all Steve i once stoked up to a rabbit from 200 yards and went prone to take the shot squeezed the trigger and nothing i had for got to even load it but as the bolt was pulled back and the click sound went off so did the rabbit lol

 

atvbmac :thumbs:

 

Ps and as for the jay i let one go the last time i was out so i can see where your coming from with that .

[j j m 6,592]

As mac says we have all done it at some time or another mate

[mark williams 7,563]

yep done that too Steve the Jay would have been shot though.

 

atb

[RemyBolt 420]

At least you got to watch a Jay for a while. Stunning birds. Because they're so much rarer than maggies, I tend to just leave them alone.